Producers still have to convince drinkers that 0% beer has its merits.

"The reputation is terrible ... but with the availability of hops we can get from around the world, there is no need for non-alcoholic beer to be boring," Dass said.

Advertising language is already becoming more positive, according to Euromonitor International. Ads tout what the beer has to offer in terms of flavors and natural ingredients, while steering away from its lack of alcohol.

Research firm Mintel said drinkers are becoming more open to the idea of non-alcoholic beer, with 33% of Spaniards and 23% of Germans already drinking it on occasion. A German brewer, Erdinger, offers every runner in the Berlin marathon an alcohol-free pint when they cross the finish line.

Heineken said the alcohol-free beer market is growing 9% a year in the U.K.

"When people taste non-alcoholic beer, the first thing they say is 'it tastes like beer!' and I have to remind them that it is a beer. They can't get their head around it," Elkington said.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated AB InBev's predictions for non-alcoholic beer.